Spring Break 2014 will be here before you know it. January and February in SoWal are spent preparing for a busy March and April with lots of families visiting our beaches. We don't experience Spring Break craziness like some destinations. Although every year we get a few more houses full of college students, and the Miramar Beach area of South Walton begins a stretch of packed beaches all the way west to Destin.
Grayton Beer Company wants to quench your thirst, and the company has geared up its staff and finalized touches on its brand-new South Walton brewery to toast the authentic beach life. The company has a new set of beers for beach and suds lovers, due to hit shelves and tap rooms this week - including special tap parties at Stinky's Fish Camp and the Red Bar this weekend.
SoWal local Emeril Lagasse just kicked off season two of Emeril's Florida on the Cooking Channel, and our beloved South Walton takes center stage. This season, SoWal is featured in nine different segments, with the first airing Sunday, Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. CST. Two episodes focusing solely on South Walton Beaches air Sunday, Jan. 26 at 1:30 p.m. CST and Sunday, Mar. 2 at 1:30 p.m. CST.
A tour of the 40 acres at Gulf Cemetery reveals many memorials, remembrances, personal items, tombstones (some weathered with unreadable inscriptions), simple wooden crosses, photos and homemade plaques. The nearly 100-year-old resting place is just a short walk from the beach at Gulf Place.
Gulf Cemetery Association, Inc. is a non-profit organization managed by volunteers. Tax deductible donations and the sale of lots help with repairs and upkeep of the site.
The Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) named Malcolm Patterson as its 2013 Van Ness Butler,Jr. Hospitality Award recipient yesterday during the TDC’s Annual Meeting. Each year, the TDC recognizes a pioneer in the tourismindustry with the prestigious award, bestowed upon a community member for his or her visionary leadership in helping to shape South Waltoninto a premier tourist destination.
USA Today has published their list of Florida's ten least-known beaches. Many South Walton beach lovers will be happy to see Santa Rosa Beach on the list. And many who want to stay on the list will wish their was no such list. It's hard to find secluded beaches in Florida - we've been to many of these and would like to keep them quiet. Oh well, no such luck - they've been outed by USA Today.
From the website:
____________________________________
Google has announced Santa Rosa Beach in South Walton as Florida's Digital Capital. Santa Rosa Beach is the postal city designation for most of South Walton and serves as a catch-all for most of the area south of the Choctawhatchee Bay.
Greg Mathews and Chris Officer are wearing out flip flops every day as they walk Florida beaches for Google Maps. They are carrying a bizarre backpack which has a big blue orb overhead. The 40-pound rig contains 15 cameras that each take a picture every 2.5 seconds to later create a Google "street view" panorama. They are trekking about 7.5 miles a day for the project which is a collaboration between Visit Florida and Google.
The duo started in the panhandle and have already walked across South Walton. The project should be completed and accessible on Google maps in 2014.
Wyndham Vacation Rentals has announced that ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals launched a Local’s Loyalty Program to reward local residents for their hospitality in welcoming thousands of tourists to the Gulf Coast each year.
The Volunteer Guild at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast recently presented a $67,600 donation to the hospital in support of a variety of patient care initiatives. Each year, the Volunteer Guild invites hospital department managers to apply for one of the Volunteer Guild’s special capital sponsorships to enhance patient care, resulting in new equipment, software upgrades and customer service projects.
